UPDATE: June 2, 2020 – Microsoft has changed the way they manage Cortana so in newer builds of Windows 10 the work is MUCH easier.  See THIS article.

If, like me, your Windows 10 Cortana is non-responsive (or you just don’t want Cortana) we will show you how to remove and re-add Cortana which will perform a hard reset on it.  This is the only real way to repair Cortana fully.

Cortana is hard baked into Windows 10 and there is no interface like ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS AND FEATURES to click and remove or reinstall Cortana.  Cortana is a “modern app” which means every user has their own copy but you can use common tech tool called PowerShell that is built into Windows 10 to add or remove any Modern App and then reinstall it.

SIMPLE VERSION For Techs:

  1. Create a new administrator on your Window 10 and sign in as that user
  2. Delete (or rename) C:\Users\<PROBLEM USER>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy
    UPDATE : AUG 9 2021 – If that path does not exist try removing:
    C:\Users\<PROBLEM USER>\Local\ Packages\ Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy
  3. Sign back in as the PROBLEM USER
  4. Open PowerShell as an admin and type (or paste)
    Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register

LONG VERSION For Regular Folks:

  1. Create a new administrator on your Window 10 and sign in as that user (watch the video if you don’t know how to do this)
  2. Launch FILE EXPLORER (the new name for MY COMPUTER) and double click on the VIEW tab
  3. Put a check mark in FILE NAME EXTENSIONS and on HIDDEN ITEMS
  4. Double click your way through to C:\Users\<CORTANA PROBLEM USER>\AppData\Local\Packages\
  5. Delete (or rename) Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy
    or Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy 
  6. Sign out of your temporary administrator account (in fact you can delete it now if you wish)
  7. Sign back in as the user with the Cortana problem
  8. Click the START button and scroll down through the apps to the WINDOWS POWERSHELL folder
  9. Click on the WINDOWS POWERSHELL folder
  10. RIGHT CLICK (very important) on WINDOWS POWERSHELL and select RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR
  11. Type in this command and press the ENTER key
    Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register
  12. Test Cortana and it should work.

If you want to just remove Cortana altogether, stop at step 7 above.

Having Cortana dead has been annoying me for quite a few builds of Windows 10 Anniversary Update 1607 and I want to thank a few sites for reminding me that Cortana is just a modern app that can be removed through Windows 10 PowerShell, most notably THIS one and THIS one.

We have also written up a similar set of instructions on how to hard reset / repair / remove / Microsoft Edge Browser HERE.


21 Comments

Christopher James Francis Rodgers · August 28, 2021 at 7:38 am

Corrected Post
____________
2021.08.28 [Solved for me]
.
(Credit due) Article: https://www.urtech.ca/2016/08/solved-video-how-to-hard-reset-or-remove-cortana-in-windows-10/
.
.
.
[Problem defined]
.
Search (on the Taskbar) was not working on a new installation of Windows 10, updated to version 21H1 (OS Build 19043.1165).
.
The search box would not accept any characters that I tried to type into it, and the pop-up search window would close within seconds of my trying to use it.
.
.
.
[Solution]
.
Create a NEW USER, and set the NEW USER from ‘Standard’ to ‘Administrator’.
.
‘Sign out’ of PROBLEM USER. (Do not just ‘Switch user’– ‘Sign out’.)
.
.
.
Sign into NEW USER account.
.
(Note aside: Search is working for the NEW USER account)
.
.
.
Navigate to:
.
“C:\Users\PROBLEM USER\AppData\Local\Packages\
.
.
.
The folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
does not exist at
.
“C:\Users\PROBLEM USER\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
but the folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
exists at
.
“C:\Users\PROBLEM USER\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
.
.
I renamed the folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
…to…
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy—-null”
.
.
.
I used a revised version of the command recommended in the article in a command-prompt terminal (a terminal window that I opened as ‘Run as Administrator’.)
.
The recommended command from the article is:
.
Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register
.
.
.
I substituted…
.
Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy
.
into the command in place of…
.
Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy
.
.
.
I also replaced the two double-quotation-marks that come from copying the command from the article (the “ and the ”), and substitute using the double-quotation-mark keyboard key (“) for both of them.
.
.
.
I ran this edited command in the command-prompt terminal:
.
Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register
.
.
.
Sign into PROBLEM USER.
.
.
.
Search is now working for PROBLEM USER.
.
.
.
Note aside: I notice that within the folder…
.
“C:\Users\PROBLEM USER\AppData\Local\Packages\”
.
its sub-folder…
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
has been restored (just above the folder)…
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy—-null”
.
===
.
(Credit due) Article: https://www.urtech.ca/2016/08/solved-video-how-to-hard-reset-or-remove-cortana-in-windows-10/
.
The URLs for webpages at which I have posted this information:
.
https://www.urtech.ca/2016/08/solved-video-how-to-hard-reset-or-remove-cortana-in-windows-10/
.
The URL for this page is: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-search-not-working-after-update-version/4a2a2e90-c35f-4817-8492-5f629b42adfd
.
### 2021.08.28 u1433 ~ Rodgers, Christopher James Francis

Ignore the post of mine below. …I did use the command line as detailed above.

Christopher James Francis Rodgers · August 25, 2021 at 9:34 am

2021.08.25
.
Search was not working on a new installation of Windows 10, updated to
version 21H1 (OS Build 19043.1165).
.
The search box would not accept characters I tried to type into it, and the pop-up search window would close within seconds of my trying to use it.
.
.
.
[Solution]
.
Create a NEW USER, and set the NEW USER from ‘Standard’ to ‘Administrator’.
.
‘Sign out’ of PROBLEM USER. (Do not just ‘Switch user’– ‘Sign out’.)
.
.
.
Sign into NEW USER account.
.
(Note aside: Search is working for the NEW USER account)
.
.
.
The folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
does not exist at
.
“C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
but the folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
exists at
.
“C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
.
.
I renamed the folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
…to…
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy—-null”
.
.
.
Sign into PROBLEM USER.
.
.
.
Search is now working for PROBLEM USER.
.
.
.
I notice that in the folder
.
“C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Packages\”
.
its sub-folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
has been restored, above the folder
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy—-null”
.
===
.
.
.
Note aside: (Not used)
.
I did not need to use the recommended command for a command-prompt terminal, which I would have opened as ‘Run as Administrator’.
.
.
.
The recommended command from the article is:
.
Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register
.
.
.
If I were to use the command above, I would substitute
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy”
.
into the command in place of
.
“Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy”.
.
.
.
I would also replace the two double-quotation-marks that come from copying the command from the article (the “ and the ”), and substitute using the double-quotation-mark keyboard key (“) for both of them.
.
.
.
My edited command (that I did not use because Search is working):
.
Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register
.
.
.
(Credit due) Article: https://www.urtech.ca/2016/08/solved-video-how-to-hard-reset-or-remove-cortana-in-windows-10/
.
### 2021.08.25 ~ Rodgers, Christopher James Francis

Justin · July 24, 2021 at 2:45 am

i cant find Microsoft.Windows.Cortana file, what should i do help me pls 🙂

    Ian Matthews · July 27, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    Hi Justin;

    It seems that somewhere between Windows 10 1909 and 20H2 that C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana has been removed. I have asked Microsoft to clarify and if I get a decent response I will let you know.

    I wonder if this process still works, obviously omitting Step 2.

    Thanks,

    Ian Matthews · August 9, 2021 at 7:43 pm

    Hi Justin;

    Someone from Microsoft suggested the path is now %LOCALAPPDATA%\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy (i.e. C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy )

    I have not tried this but if you can confirm it worked for you, we will update this article.

    I hope that helps.

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